Monthly Archives: January 2015

This is my partner in adventure, Chevy. He came to me as a foster almost 2 years ago. In fact, on February 17 we get to celebrate his “Gotcha Day”; he will officially be 2yrs and 4mos old.

He wasn’t always a runner, but he has always been big. At 4mos old he could jump on my couch, surf the coffee table, climb onto the coffee table from the couch, get into my yarn and needles, and so much more. He was easily potty trained; he learned within the first 2 days if he rang the bell on my back door I’d let him outside. Thus began our journey of needing to go outside about every 30min so he could check out the backyard to see if anything had changed since his last visit.

We started running together when he was about 6-7mos old. His energy level is still through the roof, so imagine his excitement as a wee pup. He wasn’t too keen about passing the house and being forced to follow his mom, but he came around. Now he can run 8mi with me on the road in the winter (5-6mi in the summer) and so far we’re up to 12mi on the trails in the winter (still only 5-6mi in the summer). He absolutely loves to go for any type of adventure, though. On hot summer days, we go for long walks to explore the city and the river bank. We hike a lot in the cooler months, too. Once we went camping and he wasn’t an immediate fan but hopefully that will change over time.

Chevy is my soul dog, I couldn’t imagine my life without him. He loves to wander and explore the world around him, no fence can contain him. He is goofy, often running into things while we’re running because he’s too busy looking elsewhere. He thinks he’s a lap dog and takes up 3/4 of a queen sized bed each night.

I officially adopted him about 6mos ago and I have been completely happy with him ever since. Some days I could do without the mouthiness, the jumping, the high energy level and the barking when no one will pay attention to him. But he is also so happy, full of life and loves everyone and every dog. Plus, he’s an awesome running partner.

Life is a lot like trail running. You have to be willing to get lost, trusting you’ll find your way back to yourself even if you wander too far. Who wants to go back the way they came, to go backward, to repeat something they have already seen? The slight detour might take you through a puddle or two, let you meander around a few downed trees, but it’ll always get you back to the main trail somehow. Wandering becomes your new best friend. How else do you discover new and untraveled places?

The most important though, you always have to pay attention to where you place your feet. You can’t risk looking back from whence you came lest you run into a tree or myriad other death defying reasons. You have to constantly be aware of where you are and where you are going. Where you were remains where it is, it doesn’t come with you. (Unless there’s mud, that travels on your shoes and sometimes body parts.) You can only look so far ahead, quick peeks to make sure you aren’t heading for a cliff, a large body of water, the runner in front of you or straight into a hiker (that’s happened). You know you’re moving forward, headed for a place on the other end, but how you get there just sorta happens. There’s not really much thought in it, simply putting one foot in front of the other and trying not to get too beat up along the way. When running the trails, especially if they’re technical, you can only focus on right now, where your foot is going to land each time it’s lifted.